As the globe warms up the prolonged effects of climate change have affected our daily lives without us even realizing it. One of these effects is happening in many countries. It is also affecting many areas throughout the United States, especially in more coastal areas. This worldwide threat is flooding. According to EPA, “Rivers and streams experience flooding as a natural result of large rain storms or spring snowmelt that quickly drains into streams and rivers.” The warmer temperatures melt snowpack, causing water to rise in oceans and other bodies of water. Climate change can also increase storms. With both of these being significant factors, especially in more tropical areas that are closer to sea level, there are significant disruptions in the environment with flooding. The sea level is continuing to rise, and in 2050, it is predicted that many cities can be sunken. Cities such as Shanghai, Mumbai, and even Miami, might be sunken cities due to rising sea levels. These are cities that are composed highly of infrastructure such as roads and pavements, making it worse for water buildup because there is not much for the water to be soaked up by.
According to the Conversation Journal Post, “The amount of water vapor that the atmosphere can contain increases by about 7% for every 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) of increase in atmospheric temperature.” As one can tell, this increased precipitation from the large build up of water vapor in the air has also played a large role in increasing rates of flooding. This is because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. As stated before, large snowpack melting is one of the major causes of increased flooding rates as well. All of these effects have led to a number of problems including health impacts. All of the flooding have caused a buildup of water in many areas. Water is prone to many water-borne illnesses, especially from mosquitos. Most of this water is extremely contaminated with possible sewage, trash, waste, fish, insects like mosquitos, and much more. This can severely impact the town, as it makes it very difficult to clean up and get proper health care. Areas that do not have any or little to no healthcare options can suffer severely from a flood because of the lingering health effects.
Moreover, rising sea levels can affect the soil and wetlands, as it destroys diverse ecosystems. These increased water levels are wiping out areas and destroying homes and lands. It is also causing a mass murder of people, vegetative life, and other organisms. Currently, the best and most effective method of solving the flooding problem is to reduce carbon emissions, so they can stop warming up the planet. Another way is to reduce and protect the lands with more soil. The more natural soil is present, the more likely it is for the soil to soak up the soil. This was explained by National Public Radio when they stated, “When a lot of rain falls in a short period of time, it doesn’t soak into the ground, especially if the ground is already saturated, or it’s covered with pavement or buildings that aren’t permeable.” The increased infrastructure such as roads has created hard surfaces that would cause the water to stay in its place rather than be soaked up by the land. This will make flooding and sunken cities more prone. This means that coastal cities especially should start to include more vegetation and natural areas of growth in their cities to prevent flooding.
Another solution that I saw was more technological-related, which was water gates. These are barriers that are placed near the water shorelines that can come up from the ground to stop the water from moving forward. The company that designed this barrier stated the following: “The principle is simple: water enters and accumulates at the bottom of the barrier. As the water level rises, the barrier unfolds and swells.” This is a brief description of the idea behind the barrier and why it is a great option for effective control of flooding. Another benefit of this creation is that they can go around corners and around walls, which allows it to cover more ground in protecting infrastructure. This is most likely best useful if a flood warning is given and is predicted to come because these can then be set up before the flood arrives. Furthermore, this is most likely quite affordable to implement because it is reusable and can be transported with ease. They are made of relatively inexpensive materials but may be difficult to implement in smaller cities or villages in poorer countries that may not be able to have access to such products. However, they can use the same idea and build traditionally used structures as barriers to prevent flooding.
Sources:
- https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-river-flooding#:~:text=As%20warmer%20temperatures%20cause%20more,see%20the%20Heavy%20Precipitation%20indicator).
- https://www.hydroresponse.com/water-gate-barrier
- https://www.npr.org/2022/08/03/1115384628/how-climate-change-drives-inlaoods
- https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-making-flooding-worse-3-reasons-the-world-is-seeing-more-record-breaking-deluges-and-flash-floods-185364
Well done! You have certainly done your research here, as you have shown broad knowledge on the topic of flooding. This entry has clarified a lot about flooding, especially by pinpointing the causes of more frequent floods. I think that the soil idea is a good idea to develop because soil also can have other benefits, such as increased biodiversity. If you want, you could even take a deeper dive into soil, as it is a topic of environmental concern. I was a bit confused on the flood barrier idea, though, as it seems a little bit idealistic. Other than that, I like the direction that this is heading. I think you have a good handle on the topic and should keep pursuing more subtopics that could offer solutions to the flooding crisis.
Hi Sai! This is a very well-researched blog post! I don’t know that I have ever thought about flooding and how its impacts are increasing. It’s interesting to learn the causes of flooding and the possible solutions. I can’t wai to keep reading! Great job!
There’s a lot of interesting material here that I hadn’t thought of before–good and bad. On the “bad” side, I never put together the potential pathogen and disease-related effects of flooding. My mind always just went to things like water damage, the destroying of structural foundations, ravaging ecosystems, and a loss of land, but I never considered just how floods would wash up and carry all the water-borne pathogens and diseases that found their way into it–not to mention all the waste and trash that pollutes it already. The water gates are a fascinating idea that I did a little bit more research on. Are you talking about the bag-like ones? I assume so, since you mention how they “expand” and are “easy to transport.” I think that a policy push to expand their usage in coastal cities (like Miami, for example) would be a very pertinent idea to propose. I really enjoyed reading this post, especially since I feel like my knowledge about flooding in general is kind of lacking, so thanks for putting together such an informational and easy to understand post full of useful information!
Hey your post looks very well researched.I think most people understand the impacts of climate change but don’t understand the proper mitigation measures. I think the barrier technology was quite fascinating and I can see it being utilized in the coastal cities. Your point on the health impacts was also quite eye opening. When I usually think of flooding it relates to material and environmental costs but much less the health costs.I think it will be interesting see how our cities evolve to deal with the costs of climate change in the form of flooding.